Method of treating flour.



PATENTED FEB. 13, 1906.

J. E. MITCHELL.

METHOD OF TREATING FLOUR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24, 1904.

when wa W. Q M-XQJJ-O l for reparing ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. MITCHELL, on ST. PRooEss COMPANY, or or mssomn.

LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO ALSOI ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION METHOD OF TREATING FLOUR...

Specification of Letters Patent. A ordination filed September 24,

Patented Feb. 13, 1906.

1904. Serial No. 226,849.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. MITCHELL, a

citizen ofthe United States, residing at St.

In efiect, my invention aims to improve the process described and claimed in Letters Patent No. 759,651, granted May 10,- 1904, to James N. Alsop. According to said process air as modified by the flaming electric discharge is conducted almost immediately from the electrifying apparatus into the presence of the flounto be treated. As a result the flour is very greatly improved in many particulars, the most noticeable improvement being in the color, which is very much whiter than that of the ordinary flour of commerce. I have for some time known that the bleaching effect the gas has upon the flour is not nearly so great in the pipe near the elec: trical apparatus Where the gas is generated as it is near the a 'tator where the flour is treated and that the bleaching power of the gas discharged from the outlet of the agitator is greater than that of the gas entering the a itator. In. brief, I have discovered that t e properties of the gaseous medium produced by the Alsop apparatus to improve flour are reatly enhanced if said medium be stored or 1ts passageto the flour retarded for an appreciable length of time. or six minutes time is required after the air leaves the electrifying apparatus before it possesses the maximum efliciency for the improvement of fiour. A less time of storage or of retardation will in practice frequently answer, owing to the condition of the atmosphere as to term erature and moisture and to the character 0 the flour being treated. As in all processes of this character, something must be left to.th e skill and discretion of the operator to secure. the best results. The uestionof the length of storage or retardation can be readily determined,however, by an inspection of the flour being treated.

gases, and has reference espev I have found that five.

If a single storage tank be employed, thegrequi site variation is efiected by shutting ofi part of the current, so that the air will be modified to a less extent by the discharge and the gaseous medium be less intense in its action. Furthermore, I have discovered that marked improvement in the quality of the gas so far asits availability for the treatment of flour is sufficient size to permit of a thorough'diffu sion of the gas therein.

It is possible that the improvement efiected in the gaseous medium by the interposition of a holder or receptacle in the conduit dium tend to find their respective levels in the 'reservolr, and W1th each influx of fresh gas the'various constituents thereof combine with the like constituents already in the reservoir,

crease of volume of the effective gases, which are subsequently forced into the agitator containing the flour. This would result or may a result in a larger volume of the effective gases being su plied to than is t e case where the air as modified is discharging the gaseous lly a secure practica leading from the pum to the agitator where the flour is treated is ue to several causes. I suggest the following reasons:

the gaseous memedium the various constituents of said me the flour in a given time" discharged practically immediately into the concerned is effected by the discharge there of mto a tank or other closed receptacleof so that there is effected a condensation or 1n- 7 therefrom,

are made direct continuous discharge" thereof into the agitathe agitator, and by the time it reaches the agitator its purifying and bleaching qualities are so great that but very little of. the gas is required in treating flour as compared with the quantity re uired when the connections cm the pump to the agitator.

In practicing my process I may employ a single tank for receiving the gaseous medium or two or more similar tanks connected in such manner that the gas can be caused to pass through as many of the tanks as desired before it is permitted to enter the agitator, whereby I am enabled to regulate the length of time during which the gas is retarded in its passage to the flour. The single tank which I employ is cylindrical in shape and approXi-. 'mately six feet in height bythree feet in diameter. If two or more tanks are employed, their'combined capacity should be about equal to the capacity of a single tank.

Having thus outlined the purposes of my invention and the advantages to be derived I will now proceed to describethe same more in detail in connection with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates, artly in section and partly in elevation, a Form of apparatus capable of permitting the process contemplated to be carried out.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the air-tube, in which are located the electrodes 2 and 3. 4

4 indicates the pump for drawing air through the tube 1, for which purpose it is connected with the tube by means of pipe 5, provided with a check-valve 6.

7 indicates the outlet-pipe from the pump, which is provided with a check-valve 8.. pipe 7 leads to and is connected with one end of a tank 9, and from the opposite end of said tank a ipe 10 leads to a conduit 11 and is provided with a valve 12. J

13 and 14 indicate a pipe 15 connecting one end of the tank 9 with the opposite end of the tank 13 and the pipe 16 connecting one end of the tank 13 with the opposite end of the tank 14-. Pipes 17 and 18, respectively, connect the tanks 13 and 14 with the conduit 11 andare provided with valves 19 and 20.

uniformly to'the action'ofop osite'end thereof.

the gases or retardingthan are the gaseswheu can close both the valves 12 and then conducting The ' stituent gases have occurred, and

2 1 indicates the agitatoninto. which flour is admitted at 22 and is gradually forced through the agitator and. d schargedat-the n practice if 11;, be desiredv touse a single are closed and drawnthrou h tank only valves .19 and 20 valve 12 is opened.' Air is the tube 1,-and after being the electrodes; 2 and 3, is drawn throu h the pipe 5 intoythe pump-cylinder and then orced out through the pipe 7into the tank 9. From the tank 9 it passes throughv the pipe 10, to the conduit 11, whence it enters'into the agitator 21 and comes in contact with the flour. If it be found-that ford the requisite vdium to attain its close the valve 12 an force the gas to'pass up through, the pi e 15 into the tank 13 and then pipe 17 to the conduit] 11.

time for the gaseous me- In like manner I 19 and open valve 20 and cause the gas to pass through the tanks-9, 13, and 14 out through the pipe 18 to the conduit 11. It will be evident that each volume of gas will not be discharged directly from the tank, but .only after succeeding volumes of gas have been forced into the tank. Durin this operation all of the gases are thorough and possibly, as stated, new chemical combinations or more perfect combinations of the constituent elements of the gaseous medium occur.

Having thus fully described-my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the'United States, is

1. The method of treating flour, which v subjected, tot e action of the discharge which occurs between the size of the tank 9 or. the length of the same be not sufiicient toafout throug the hi hest efficiency, I may open the valve '19- and y intermingled in the tank, a

consists in subjecting air to the action of the flaming electric discharge, retardin the pas sage of the modified air to the flour or an appreciable. length of time, and then conducting the modified. air into the presence of the flour. I

2. The method consists in subjecting air to the action of the flaming electric dischar e, storing the modified air for an appreciabIe length of time, and

of the flour.

of treating flour, which 3. The method of treating flour, which consists in subjecting air to the action of the flaming electric discharge, passing the air as thus modified laying its passage therethrough until the desists in roducing a gaseous mixture contain-.

ing oxi s of nitrogen, dela 'n the said gaseous mixture to t e assa e of our i g or an appreciable length of time, and thensubjecting.

into an inclosed space and de and interdifi'usion of the con- I II 5 the same mto the presence the flour to the action of the resultant gas or i In testimony whereof I have hereunto set gases. I my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- I0 5. The process of treating flour, which connesses. sists in producin synthetically gaseous ox- JOHN E- MITCHELL 5 ids of mtro en, elaying the Fassage of the gaseous me ium to the flour or an appreci- Witnesses: able length of time and then subjectlng the J. N. BONNER, flour to the action thereof. MARK MAITLAND. 

